Who is liable for profit and loss in the system of Conveyancing?

The young professional residents would also encourage an evening cafe society; cafes and restaurants would open in the evening thus increasing community safety in the town centre and reducing crime concerns. The effects could then spread outwards. If investors see a prosperous, crime-free town centre then investment confidence is increased. Private initiatives can then be coupled with local authority funding to work on bringing other empties back into use and the regeneration efforts spread outwards.

Corporate working groups will also give to senior management the message that co-ordinated action is needed and that empty properties are a serious issue. At a meeting held by West Lindsay recently succeeded in drawing together a cohesive group ready to take the message forward. Planning attended but openly admitted that empty properties were small part of their work but could also be an elusive thorn in their side. They were unsure of the contribution they could make. Rachel North wrote to me and said, “I must report to you that I attended the next Management Team meeting in Planning and the planners were really enthused about it all.”

Empty property working groups are springing up all over. They make sense and in the local authorities where they are taking place it is reassuring to know that the subject is going to be addressed with the necessary corporate commitment thus giving power to empty property activity and the Empty Property Strategy. Across the country there are thousands of private homes lying empty while local people need housing (Prescott tries to clear up the empties – 8/2/03).

From our experience working with local authorities we know that some of these owners can give no clear reason why the property is empty, and have turned down offers of financial help to bring their homes back into use. And many of these homes are sliding into rack and ruin attracting complaints from neighbours as empty homes affect property prices and attract crime. In such cases, and where there is local demand for housing, surely we should do something with these properties? After all empty homes can cost other home owners money.

Yet we are not talking about second homes or homes that are only used occasionally – the target here is not all empty homes. We need to focus on those houses that have been empty for a long time (probably in excess of twelve months) and are beginning to fall into decline, where there is a local demand for housing and the owners do not want to become landlords themselves. view more E Settlement Agents Perth